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Apple Computers Mac OS X 10.4 Apples Tiger offers now what Vista still wont deliver for several more months; if Apple opts to change course and unbundle its x86-powered OS X from Apple-only hardware, it would be set to give Vista a real fight (www.apple.com)
Microsofts Windows XP Professional Probably Vistas toughest competition, XP Service Pack 2, while long in the tooth, at least has stopped up many of the security holes that couldve sent users streaming to Vista (www.microsoft.com)

Linux distributions The worlds various Linux flavorsincluding OpenSUSE, Fedora Core and Ubuntuhave covered a lot of ground since Windows XP first shipped, boasting slick features, broader platform support than for Windows or Mac OS, and zero software license costs

Senior Analyst Jason Brooks can be reached at jason_brooks@ziffdavis.comCheck out eWEEK.coms for Microsoft and Windows news, views and analysis.

As Editor in Chief of eWEEK Labs, Jason Brooks manages the Labs team and is responsible for eWEEK's print edition. Brooks joined eWEEK in 1999, and has covered wireless networking, office productivity suites, mobile devices, Windows, virtualization, and desktops and notebooks. JasonÃÃÃs coverage is currently focused on Linux and Unix operating systems, open-source software and licensing, cloud computing and Software as a Service. Follow Jason on Twitter at jasonbrooks, or reach him by email at jbrooks@eweek.com.